FIRST BIRD CRAFTS bamboo arrow shafts and broad heads

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Dennis La Varenne
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Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2003 10:56 pm
Location: Tocumwal, NSW. Australia

FIRST BIRD CRAFTS bamboo arrow shafts and broad heads

#1 Post by Dennis La Varenne » Wed Jan 25, 2012 2:51 pm

Following some very favourable comments on some bamboo shafts mentioned elsewhere on Ozbow, I also decided to purchase some from the Chinese maker – FIRST BIRD CRAFTS. My order was placed on the 27th of December, 2011 and they arrived on 5th of January, 2012 – 9 days.

The shafts were ordered via EBay and sold by one Mr Ting Shi whose email address is -
Mr.Ting Shi <stmm1968@yahoo.com.cn>

The URL to the Ebay site where these shafts can be purchased is
http://stores.ebay.com.au/first-bird-ba ... 4340.l2563

As promised, the following is my summarised review of these shafts. The full technical review is attached as a PDF.

I have not purchased any of Mr Ting's broad heads yet, so they play no part of this review, but they appear to be very well contracted with a socket for untapered shaft ends to simply socket into the ferrule.

Following the purchase of six bamboo shafted arrows from Rudderbows Archery in the US, and being very pleased with their performance at the rather extended range of 40 metres in my backyard, I was interested to try making my own bamboo-shafted arrows.

Jeffro’s thread “Bamboo arrows” in Traditional Crafts pages of Ozbow gave me the opportunity. I took a chance and purchased 100 shafts, 12 of which were the subject of this review.

The testing conducted showed that these shafts were remarkably consistent in spine, straightness and mass, although they tended to be one spine grading higher than marked.
IMG_1250a.jpg
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However, if the data on spine rating in Table 2 in the PDF is examined, it can be seen that if one were to cut shafts to length from the smaller diameter end, one could effectively go down one spine grading, or very close to it, whilst cutting to length from the larger diameter end could result in one grading higher spine.

Average straightness was within 50 thou of oscillation on a spine jig, which is very good indeed, and all of them rolled easily across a flat tabletop.

From the odour, the finish seemed to be some kind of semi-gloss lacquer which was very well applied with no observable runs or drips. Only one of the shafts had any observable damage and that consisted of a 2/3 circumferential crack near a dog-leg bend close to a node. It broke when subjected to bending and was discarded.

Thicknesses at each of the three points of measurement shown in Table 1 of the PDF tended to be within 0.1 of a millimetre because natural shafts are not round. Unless this degree of ‘out-of-roundness’ results in such uneven mass distribution across the width of the shaft that it affects arrow flight, the tester finds no reason to be concerned about this phenomenon.

Those I purchased from Rudderbows are in excess of 10lbs overspine, and fly like darts from my 43lb Howard Hill Tembo long bow.

The average spine rating fell within a small range with one third of the tested shafts at nominal spine and the rest to one grade higher with the practical possibility that because these shafts are so long, simply by cutting to length from either end, closer spine matches could be achieved.

Overcoming the hollow tube problem for tapering for points and nocks, after cutting to length, just glue a short length of bamboo kebab stick into the hollow and taper as normal.

Elasticity test
At a future time, a simple elasticity test will be carried out comparing a batch of good quality Port Orford cedar shafts of similar spine rating against the tested batch above.

The test will comprise hanging a yet-to-be-determined weight centrally from each shaft at rotations of 90 degrees over a set time and measuring the amount of set taken by each shaft after that time elapsed.

By rotating both the bamboo shafts and the POC shafts will allow for differences in elasticity due to grain orientation and hopefully preclude some inherent advantage of the bamboo shafts with their lack of growth rings and uncut full-length fibres.

Each shaft will be rested between measurements while all the other shafts are similarly tested, so No. 1 shaft will be tested a 00 then rested whilst No2 shaft is tested right through to No12 shaft.

Then No1 shaft of the POC sample will be tested similarly.

Following testing of all the POC shafts from No1 to No12, No2 of the bamboo shafts will be tested, and so on right through the range. All shafts will be allowed substantial recovery time from the bending test.

It is hoped that this test will give some idea of the resilience of bamboo shafts against paradox bending compared to an archery standard in arrow shaft material (POC) and show whether there may be any particular benefit in preferring bamboo to other arrow shaft materials.

A previously owned set of bamboo shafts purchased from Rudderbows was re-nocked and re-fletched with the same ease with which conventional dowelled wood shafts are fletched. On examination, there is no reason to consider that the shafts under review would be any different.

I have also included two pictures of 6 of the sampled shafts. The spine markings are at the place where obviously the shafts were spined ex-factory. The lengthways picture shows how these shafts have longitudinal 'woofs' about which I have commented in the detailed review.
IMG_1247a.jpg
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These 'woofs' actually have a crankshaft-like alignment between the ends and have no visible effect upon arrow flight.
Attachments
Review - FIRST BIRD CRAFTS bamboo arrow shafts.pdf
(120.35 KiB) Downloaded 311 times
Dennis La Varénne

Have the courage to argue your beliefs with conviction, but the humility to accept that you may be wrong.

QVIS CVSTODIET IPSOS CVSTODES (Who polices the police?) - DECIMVS IVNIVS IVVENALIS (Juvenal) - Satire VI, lines 347–8

What is the difference between free enterprise capitalism and organised crime?

HOMO LVPVS HOMINIS - Man is his own predator.

Sinners121
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Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2012 6:30 pm

Re: FIRST BIRD CRAFTS bamboo arrow shafts and broad heads

#2 Post by Sinners121 » Tue Jul 24, 2012 8:53 am

sorry for the newb question but do you mean that even though they dont look straight they still fly well??
CheerS
Synjon

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Roadie
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Re: FIRST BIRD CRAFTS bamboo arrow shafts and broad heads

#3 Post by Roadie » Tue Jul 24, 2012 9:03 am

Dennis thanks for the info, what is your honest opinion of them, Good, Bad, or so so. Would you use them for a serious shoot or just for Fun shoot. Cheers Roadie.

Dennis La Varenne
Posts: 1776
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2003 10:56 pm
Location: Tocumwal, NSW. Australia

Re: FIRST BIRD CRAFTS bamboo arrow shafts and broad heads

#4 Post by Dennis La Varenne » Tue Jul 24, 2012 9:51 am

Roadie,
My serious opinion of them is that I would use them for the most serious of applications anywhere and under any conditions and for any animal so long as the arrow mass was appropriate.
Dennis La Varénne

Have the courage to argue your beliefs with conviction, but the humility to accept that you may be wrong.

QVIS CVSTODIET IPSOS CVSTODES (Who polices the police?) - DECIMVS IVNIVS IVVENALIS (Juvenal) - Satire VI, lines 347–8

What is the difference between free enterprise capitalism and organised crime?

HOMO LVPVS HOMINIS - Man is his own predator.

longbowinfected
Posts: 2040
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2007 5:42 pm

Re: FIRST BIRD CRAFTS bamboo arrow shafts and broad heads

#5 Post by longbowinfected » Tue Jul 24, 2012 9:56 am

I totally agree with you Dennis.
I used bamboo shafts at the AA Nationals at field, clout and target in Brisbane a few years ago. I only had a problem shooting 60 metres target. 50 metres and down they were superb. The problem at 60 was more me than the arrows.

Both the Blackadders who shoot at the Gathering use bamboo and they are very competitive.
My best score at Robert McKenzies is with bamboos. They are really tough. Very good for hunting and serious field shoots with lots of difficult targets near rocks.

Kevin
never complain....you did not have to wake up....every day is an extra bonus and costs nothing.

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